Inside Online Learning

About the Author: Melissa A. Venable, PhD

An Education Writer for OnlineColleges.net's Inside Online Learning blog and host of the weekly #IOLchat, Melissa's professional background in higher education includes work at private, public, and for-profit institutions.

Melissa is an experienced instructional designer, curriculum developer, online instructor, academic advisor, and career counselor who has experience with undergraduate and graduate students. She earned her doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction – Instructional Technology from the University of South Florida, where she also completed faculty certification in online teaching. Melissa currently teaches instructional design and project management online courses at the University of South Florida and Saint Leo University.

More Recent Posts

The concept of an Open Internet and the ways in which it might be protected have made big news over the last couple of months. The net neutrality debate isn’t new, but a recent ruling from the Federal Communications Commission …

Managing a career and conducting a job search can be complex processes involving multiple steps and skills. There are a lot of resources available to help you learn more about what to expect whether you are actively looking for a …

The threaded discussion forum has been around for a long time, but our use of the format in online education hasn’t really changed much over the years. While there are more interactive options for connecting in a course, the forums …

Online education is an expanding industry at all levels. From K-12 to higher ed we’re seeing the benefits of educational technology and Internet access, but not without a few challenges to continued growth and acceptance. Identifying the best possible strategies …

One of the ongoing challenges of modern higher education is balancing a foundational, liberal arts education with student, parent, and employer expectations for career preparation. Most traditional academic programs, especially liberal arts subjects at the undergraduate level, aren’t designed with …

From research papers and projects, to discussion boards and email messages, writing skills are essential for college students. It’s not likely you’ll complete an entire academic program, or even a single course, without using written communication in some way. Writing …

A recent conversation with a colleague led to a tangent about what we know, but our students don’t know, about studying in the midst of endless other responsibilities. We also have the common experience of pursuing a graduate-level education well …

Job burnout is described by the Mayo Clinic as “a special type of job stress – a state of physical, emotional, or mental exhaustion combined with doubts about your competence and the value of your work.” Sound familiar? Burnout is …